Bittersweet Valentine
by She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Sane
Summary: Harry's gone. Ginny's married to an abusive husband. When life gets too much she takes a peek in her small pensieve to see Harry one last time... V. depressing, character death, mild violence. Oneshot.


Hello there, yet another depressing, death fic by me! This was written as fan fiction challenge number 11 on based, of course, on Valentine's Day. Enjoy and please review, even if you didn't enjoy it, just to leave constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: 5,999,999,999/6,000,000,000are not J. K. Rowling, I am one of them.

**Bittersweet Valentine**

"Hey! Open the ruddy doors will yer, Sweety! Its bloody freezing ou' 'ere!"

Letting one final tear splash on the photo of her trying on her beautiful wedding dress, white satin with red silk trimmings, Harry gazing open mouthed at her in the background, Ron trying to distract him (unsuccessfully), Ginny bit her lip and slowly slid the photo album underneath her bed. It wouldn't do for her husband to see that. Not that he'd remember anything in the morning. Ginny had to admit; having an alcoholic for a husband did have some advantages, if few and far between.

"Hello, Harvey. I didn't know you would be home early." Ginny tried her best to smile at her muggle husband. Not that it mattered; Harvey practically fell through the door when Ginny opened it. Ginny wrinkled her nose. She hated the foul smell of alcohol and tobacco that seemed to go hand in hand with Harvey.

"Wha' ever, Sweety!" Ginny resisted the urge to shudder when he planted a sloppy kiss on her tear stained cheek, his unshaven bristles scratching her inflamed skin. "I bough' yer a present, yeah… 'Cause of Valentines Day, yeah!" Shocked, Ginny tentatively took the bunch of tacky plastic flowers that he had obviously picked up at the petrol station on his way home; she vaguely wondered where he'd got the money. Harvey only came home to sleep or demand more money. Nevertheless, Harvey had never got her a Valentine's gift before. Or a birthday or anniversary one for that matter.

"Thank you, Harvey. I… I'm sure you put a lot of thought into it." Ginny looked down. She could never look into those green eyes again. Why did they have to be so like Harry's? Only the twinkle of emotion was missing in them.

"Yer don' mean it, like! Do yer? Yer lyin'! Wha' yer lyin' fur? " Ginny gave a non-committal twitch of the head and shrugged her shoulders. She seemed to shrink under the massive bulk of her husband. Although most of it was fat brought on by years of take-aways and booze, he could still be pretty threatening in his alcohol induced rage.

"You cow!" He yelled, droplets of spit showering Ginny. "I goes to all this effor' and you is an ungrateful little pig, you is!"

Ginny turned away, hiding the tears.

"Don' yer turn yer back on me! I is yer husband!" A podgy fist came out of nowhere, slapping Ginny across the face. Ginny didn't say anything, too distraught to respond.

Muttering obscenities under his breath, Harvey stormed over to the fridge, pulled out a beer and sat himself down on the battered sofa.

Dismal waves of emotion ran through Ginny. She couldn't take this any longer. How could she live her life like this? She didn't know what to do! Floods of tears cascading down her cheeks Ginny let out a silent scream of raw emotion and quietly tiptoed out of the room, her husband's thunderous snores fading into the background.

The anger ebbed away as she neared the battered cardboard box in the corner of the attic, replaced by a strong sense of foreboding; she hadn't looked in that box since her wedding night. She had clutched to Harvey, desperate for somebody to love, and to be loved in return. She needed something, somebody to cling to. Her world had turned upside down, Ginny lost in the current, drowning in despair and sorrow.

She swallowed, thinking of her brothers and Hermione. They had only tired to help. And what had she done? Pushed them away. Ron had hated her for it. She could see the pain in his eyes. She knew she was acting just like Harry had done in the past, pushing away her problems, along with the people who most cared for him. Only, Harry wasn't there to pull her back…

That was why she had to push them away. She caused them pain. She reminded them all of Harry. Where there was Harry, there was Ginny and vice-versa. Many times she had been close to visiting them. Returning to her world; but how could she face them? What could you say to the remnants of shattered dreams? After all the things she had said. After all the things she had done…

Hands trembling, Ginny slowly lifted the lid, suppressing the swirls of emotions that ran inside her. Her fingers fumbling through objects only she could love, some hastily scrawled notes, used when protective big brothers were around, faded photos of Harry in various stages throughout his life, an uncut diamond, still waiting to form the ring that would have joined Harry and Ginny together… Her heart aching with the knowledge that never again could she fall into the arms of a hero, _her_ hero, the Chosen One. The Victorious One. The one who killed the Dark Lord and brought happiness to her life. Temporarily.

Finally, after what felt like years of suffering, she came upon what she had been desperate to find tonight.

Her last memory of Harry. She didn't know why she had to, but the overwhelming urge to dive into the small pensive, strong enough to hold this single memory overpowered her. Hiding away from her past hadn't worked. Pushing away her friends hadn't worked. She now understood that she had to face it. Harry was gone. Never coming back. He wouldn't have wanted her to live like this.

Swiping at the never-ending tears, Ginny took a deep breath…

"Bye Ron, Hermione." Harry grinned, waving at his friends as he tapped a brick on the wall behind the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny saw her past self beam, ever since the final battle, Harry had seldom smiled. The elder Ginny's heart broke when she saw that smile. Nobody could imitate that smile, or those shimmering emerald eyes. "Have fun on your date." Ron and Hermione glared at them, Ron's ears turning burning red.

Ginny watched on as the memories of Harry and Ginny waited until their friends were out of sight before doubling over, laughing hysterically.

"Bloody hell, Harry! I can't believe you did that!" Tears of mirth streamed down Ginny's eighteen-year-old counter part while tears of grief flooded the other. "Tell me next time you're going to put a sticking charm on their hands! I'm surprised you made it out alive!"

Harry snorted. "So was I! Having Hermione throw hexes at you is not the best way to spend your weekend! All I can say is that I'm thankful she had to use her left hand! I'd probably be n St. Mungo's for life otherwise!"

"Prat." Ginny smiled, she'd never forgotten her favourite nickname for Harry. "Happy Valentine's day!"

Harry groaned. "I've hated Valentine's Day ever since the fiasco with C-" Harry faltered, a slight blush rising on his pale face.

"Since what?" Ginny's younger self teased, faking an innocent expression.

"Um…" Ginny smiled, she'd loved the way he hesitated when under pressure, his awkwardness was endearing (although she continued to deny that she was just as bad, if not worse, sticking her elbows in better dishes whenever Harry passed by.) "Since I've never had anyone as wonderful as you to share it with." The memory's smiled, spontaneously kissing, everything else dissolving into the background. Ginny looked away, she couldn't bear to see it, knowing that that had been their last kiss.

"Happy Valentine's Day." Harry pulled out a box of chocolates from behind his back. The past Ginny smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes, a glint that would be lost through years of suffering.

"Didn't you know, Harry? I'm terribly allergic to chocolate! I though you would know that!" Ginny smiled at her childish pout, the smile finally reaching her eyes as she anticipated what Harry's reply would be.

"Since when are you allergic to chocolates, Ginerva Weasley?" Without waiting for a reply, Harry continued. "Oh well, guess I'll just have to polish them off my self then!"

"Prat! Give me those-"

The memory's sentence was cut short when a piecing scream filled the air. Harry instinctively whipped his wand out, Ginny not far behind him. The chocolate forgotten, Harry rushed into the action.

Ginny turned away. She couldn't live through it again. She couldn't see the mangled bodies of her school friends littered over the ground. She didn't want to see the remaining Death Eaters make themselves known to the wizarding world. She wasn't going to see the flash of green light hit Harry squarely in the back.

Hearing her own agonised sobs, Ginny whipped around. She would have noticed the Death Eaters were gone. She would have seen people shakily sitting up, gasping over the death of their hero. She would have noticed Ron and Hermione rushing to the scene, their hands mysteriously unattached. But she didn't.

All she could see was Harry, face up on the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley. His glittering eyes blank for the first time in his short life. His arm shaking as her counterpart tugged on it, desperately pleading for some miracle to happen and for Harry to be okay.

Sinking to her knees, Ginny's trembling fingers drifted through Harry's lifeless body, wishing and hoping to hold him one last time.

Well? Was it OK?

Just a note, any grammatical or spelling errors made n Harvey's speech are deliberate!


End file.
